How To Tighten Edge Tremolo Arm ?

[Jathon Delsy]

I have a pop-in Edge tremolo on my Ibanez guitar. With two new bushings on, it still is not tight enough. I have put a small piece of sellotape under the bushings, and this works to a degree, but it is still not as tight as I wish it. Does anybody have any effective solutions to this problem? On the Floyd Rose this is not a problem, as I can tighten the nut holding the arm and this holds the arm steady. It's a shame that Ibanez does not use a similar system.
Thanks, Jathon.

[Studio Support Gnome]

depends on exactly which model

Some have a small grub screw on the back end of the trem block..... it's an utter arse....

others have a spring and screw arrangement on the underside, that can be adjusted to very the clip strength on to the notch at the base of the trem arm...

some have two grubs screws, an upper and lower one.... upper is easy but lower is more use.

also i have seen fatter bushes.....

i've got at least one of each basic variant , some are better than others, it has to be said.....

[zenguitar]

According to the support pages at Ibanez.com replacing the bushes is the only adjustment option. And SSG really is the expert with Ibanez trems, so it might be worth looking for larger bushes.

Try asking your Ibanez dealer if they have them as an option. I see from the Ibanez Rules parts site that they have two different bushes of this type for different models. So maybe the other will be better, or perhaps you have bought the wrong part.

Rather than Sellotape (which can be compressed) have you tried using one or more wraps of tin foil?

Andy

[Jathon Delsy]

Another great idea from zenguitar! I'll give it a go with tin foil. The bushes are the correct ones, they came with the guitar. They tighten the arm to a degree, but I really want it solid. Such a shame Ibanez compromise an otherwise excellent design, and their overall lovely guitars, with this seemingly ill thought out feature. Why they don't have a simple screw nut like the Floyd Rose is beyond me.

[zenguitar]

Why they don't have a simple screw nut like the Floyd Rose is beyond me.

Because some simple nut will fiddle with it without understanding and screw it too tight and do damage

Actually, I think that the Ibanez design is well thought out. For the vast majority of users it offers two simple, reliable, settings (one bush or two) which cover most needs and is simple to maintain when the bushes wear out. Your problem is that you have a preference for a trem arm that stays exactly where you left it and anything less is outside of your comfort zone. So another possible solution is to train yourself to be a little more relaxed about your trem arm.

I used to be incredibly fussy about having all my guitars, amps, and FX just right and in the end it was getting in the way of my playing. It was only after I trained as a guitar maker and had to set-up guitars for other players that I learned to to let go. As a right handed Gibson player who liked a lowish action it was a real challenge the first time I had to set up a left handed strat with a high action for a country player. I always test a guitar set-up by playing it, and that one was certainly 'interesting', especially as I had to use whatever amps were in the shop at the time.

Sure, it's a good thing to have your guitars (and amps and FX) optimised to a certain degree. But getting too hung up on fine details can easily become a self inflicted barrier.

Andy

[Jathon Delsy]

Mmm, some very good points there zenguitar, much food for thought. There's certainly some truth in what you say, but then again I like to play with high precision and I want things exactly as I see fit on my guitar, down to the micro-millimetre. It seems that Karma always leaves something not quite right, there's always a compromise somewhere, so with this in mind your points are entirely correct. I prefer the smoother action and movement of the Edge, but prefer the more solid secure feel and the screw in arm of the Floyd Rose. While an artist needs to deal with compromise, as does anyone anywhere in life, also as an artist I refuse to compromise, because that keeps me working towards my perfect vision, which however is always realised as a ongoing compromise moving closer to but never achieving what I want. Perhaps this is why you call yourself "zenguitar"? God bless you sir.

[Studio Support Gnome]

I intensely dislike bodging things.....

but.... if i was going to do something in the immediate short term to stiffen a floppy arm, i'd get some plumbers PTFE tape and wrap it, around the arm, as tightly and as neatly as possible, avoiding ridges.,

it will need re-doing every time you put the arm in and out.

the basic problem with all such bodges is that the wrapping material gets shredded/squashed up/distorted down in the recess, potentially fouling it and needing cleaning out....

also i did mention the spring clip ... if it's one of the models with that fitted., the angle of that in thru the hole in the term arm receiving channel can be fiddled with to give a tighter connection.... but be warned, it's possible to make it almost impossible to get the arm out....

the ibanez design is implemented in such a way to allow smooth unhindered and consistent use of the arm by players whom like to put it out of the way when not in use, with minimum effort.... as well as preventing stripped threads and such like.

I do Like the floyd original locking collar..... and in fact there are several versions of Edge them which have exactly that..... including that fitted to my S 870 as standard . I also have an older S to which i retro fitted a real original Floyd.... , in place of the low-TRS trem it came with, .... and for many years i felt the floyd original was the best trem ever made.... it might still be, but i have become comfortable with assorted variants of the Edge trem, i'm still not a huge fan of the Z trem on some of my S series , vastly prefer edge variants.... but that conversion is too much hassle to bother with..... it's alright....nothing particularly wrong with it, but it feels different, responds to string bends differently, and i just prefer the edge or the real floyd...